Rail cleaner and guard for railroad spreaders



April 15, 1930.

' RAIL CLEANER AND GUARD FOR RAILROAD SPREADERS Filed Dec. 24, 1926 2Sheets-Sheet 1 v. a. TELLIS 1,754,778

April 15, 1930. v. G. TELLIS 1,754,778

RAIL CLEANER AND GUARD FOR RAILROAD SPREADERS Filed Dec. 24, 1926 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Apr. 15, 1930 UNITED STA TES PATENT OFFlQE.

VSEVOLOD G. TELLIS, OF EAST CHICAGO, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR T0 0. 1:. JORDANCOM IPANY, OF EAST CHICAGO, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF INDIANA RAILCLEANER AND GUARD IOR RAILROAD SPREADERS App1ication filed December 24,1926. Serial No. 156,795.

This invention relates to improvements in rail cleaners and guards forrailroad spreaders and it consists of the matters hereinafter describedand more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

The primary object of the invention is to provide in a railroad spreaderwhich includes a front plow and side spreader wings, a simple andeflicient means to prevent the material being spread from piling ontothe rails and tie ends after it leaves the front plow apron.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a means that may bereadily brought into operative position with respect to the rails whenthe spreader is in actual operation and which may be readily elevated toa position removed therefrom when the spreader is in transit.

These objects of the invention as well as others together with the manyadvantages thereof will more fully appear as I proceed with myspecification.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of a railroadspreader embodying the preferred form of my improved rail cleaner andguard.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view on an enlarged scale through apart of the spreader the plane of the section being taken on the line 22of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective View of a certain carriage block embodied in myimproved rail cleaner or guard.

Fig. 4 is a vertical detail sectional view on an enlarged scale as takenon the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

-Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional View on a further enlarged scale astaken on the line 55 of Fig. 1.

Beferringmore in detailto that embodiment of the invention illustratedin the accompanying drawings, 1 indicates as a whole the car body of arailroad spreader suitably mounted upon front and rear wheeled trucks 2for travel upon the rails 3 of a railroad track, only the wheels of therear truck being shown in Fig. 1. The car body includes front and rearplatforms 4. and 5 respectively which are 0 wider than the intermediateconnecting portion 6, thus providing recessed or cut in sides for thespreader as best shown in Fig. 2. The front end of the front platform ispointed or V shaped and associated therewith is a similarly shaped plowwhich includes normally rearward diverging plow members 7 only one ofwhich is shown in Fig. 1. Said plow members project laterally beyond therails and associated with each plow member is a wing or apron 8.Normally the wings extend parallel with and along the sides of the frontplatform 1 and terminate short of the rear ends 1 of said platform. Thefront plow members 7 and wings 8 may be lowered into position withrespect to the rails and may be raised to an inoperative position withrespect thereto by means of a pressure fluid cylinder 9 mounted on apedestal 10 on the front end of the Platform.

Rising from each side of the intermediate and narrower portion 6 of thecar body slightly to the rear of the rear end portions of the frontplatform t is an upright wing post 11 comprising longitudinally spacedangle bars 11 -11 Vertically slidable in said post is a carriage 12having top and bottom hinge blocks 13 and 14 respectively. 15 indicatesa hinge plate, pivoted to the bottom hinge block to swing about avertical axis. The hinge plate 15 embraces the front or innor end of amain spreader or side wing 16, pivoted thereto as at 17 to swing about ahorizontal axis. 18 indicates a second hinge plate which is pivoted tothe top hinge block 13 so as to swing about a vertical axis, arranged inline with the pivotal axis between the hinge plate 15 and bottom hingeblock 14. Interposed between said hinge plate 18 and the top edge of thewing 16 is a telescopic brace 19 which includes a fluid pressurecylinterial being engaged by the front plow is spread laterally andflows along the aprons to then be acted upon by the side wings forfurther spreading and distribution. However, as the material beingmoved, fl ws along the front plow a )rons, a portion thereof tends toflow under te same and to pile or ridge up along the rails and the ends.It is of course understood that it is desirable that such material beremoved from the rails and tie ends for several reasons and to that endI provide on each side of the car at the rear ends of the front platformthe following construction. In each corner defined by the rear ends ofthe front platform and the front ends of the sides of the narrowerintermediate body ortion 6 of the car body is fixed an angle ar 21 whichdepends a suitable distance below the car body. Said angle bar which isof a substantially large cross section includes a flange 21 secured tothe narrower bod portion 6 and a second flange 21 secured to the rearend 4 of the front platform 4. Fix d to the marginal portionof each ofsaid flanges are angle bars 22-22 of smaller cross section thusproviding a guide way or channel 23 of rectangular cross section with acor- Iler opening or slot 24-. Vertically slidable in the guide way is ahollow, elongated carriage block 25 of a cross sectional shapecorresponding to that of said guide way or channel. Along that corner ofsaid carriage block associated with the slot 24.- is a pair ofvertically spaced bearing sleeves 26 which project through and beyondsaid slot as best shown in Fig. 5 and in that wall of the block engagedwith the angle bar flange 21 is provided a plurality of verticallyspaced openings 27 the purpose of which will appear later. 28 indicatesa guard or cleaner in the form of a vertically disposed plate havingvertically spaced ears 2929 to operatively engage with the cars 26 ofthe carriage block, a pin 30 passing through the ears 2629 to pivotallyconnect the guard or cleaner to said block. A portion of the bottom endof said guard or cleaner is cut away as at 31 (see Fig. l) so that whenthe bottom edge of said plate is in position shortly above a tie 3, saidcut away portion closely approaches the rail, The bottom portion of saidplate is reinforced for strength and rigidity by a front plate 32. Thetop end of the carriage block is provided with a pair of spaced cars 33to which the bottom end of a piston rod 34 is operatively connected.

The piston rod 34 carries a piston 35 at its top end and said pistonoperates in an upright fluid pressure cylinder 36 supported in anysuitable manner from one of the angle bars 11" forming the wing post 11.Fluid under pressure is admitted to either end of the cylinder at willto impart a raising or lowering movement to said carriage block and ofcourse to the guard or cleaner 28.

Means are provided to 1001 the carriage in the desired raised or loweredposition and such means are as follows :37 indicates a horizontallydisposed pressure cylinder arranged adjacent but at a right angle to theangle bar flange 21 a short distance below the deck of the car body.Said cylinder has lateral base flanges or ears 38 and 39 respectively,the former being secured to one of the angle bars 11 of the wing post 11and the latter being secured to a bar 40 depending from the framing ofthe car body. In said cylinder is a piston ll having a stem or rod 42adapted to extend into a hole a3 in the angle bar flange 21" and toproject into the desired opening 27 of the carriage block 25. On saidcylinder is a head id and between said head and piston is a helicalexpansion spring 45. Opening through the inner end of the cylinder is afluid pressure supply pipe 46 and in the cylinder head is provided avent or exhaust opening M. When it is desired to retract the stem fromlocking position with respect to the carriage block 25, fluid underpressure is admitted to the inner end of said cylinder, which will movethe piston and stem outwardly toward the cylinder head, at the same timecompressing the spring lVith the parts in this position tie carriageblock 25 may be raised or lowered through its associated piston andcylinder 353ti, and when properly located fluid pressure is cut off fromthe cylinder 37 and the spring 45 forces the piston 41 and its steminwardly to lock the carriage block in the desired raised or loweredposition. Thus the weight of the carriage block and cleaner or guardplate is taken away from the actuating cylinder 36 and is imposed uponthe stem 43 which is of such diameter as to amply withstand said weight.

t is apparent that the plate 28 being pivoted to the carriage block asdescribed, may swing to accommodate the angular position of the mainspreader wing and when the same is in operative position, it receivesand spreads the material deflected or otherwise removed from the railsand tie ends. The improved guard or cleaner is indeed eflicientfor itsintended purpose and comprises but a few parts which are strong andrigid in construction and which may be readily assembled in place.

While in describing my invention, I have referred to many details ofconstruction as well as form and arrangement of the parts thereof I donot wish to be limited thereto except as may be pointed out in theappended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In combination with a railroad spreader including a front plow andapron and a main spreader wing, a rail cleaner and guard positionedbetween said apron and wing and embodying therein, means providing anupright guide channel, a carriage block slidable therein, a cleanerplate carried by said block and independent of said apron, means forraising and lowering said block in said guide channel and means adaptedto extend throu h a part of said channel to engage and lock t e carriageblock in the desired position.

2. In combination with a railroad spreader including a front plow andapron and a main spreader wing, a rail cleaner and guard p0 sitionedbetween said apron and wing and embodying therein, means providing anupright guide channel, a carriage block slidable therein, a cleanerplate independent of said apron pivoted to said block to swing about avertical axis, means for raising and lowering said block in said guidechannel and means adapted to extend through a part of said channel toengage and lock the carriage block in the desired position.

3. A mechanism of the kind described embodying therein in combinationwith a car body, an angle bar having flanges fixed to and depending fromsaid car body, an angle bar fixed to each flange and forming therewith arectangular guide channel with a slot at one corner thereof, a carriageblock slidable in said guide channel and having corner ears to projectthrough said slot, a plate having spaced ears along one edgeinterengaged with said ears on the block, a pivot pin passing throughsaid ears, means on the car body including a part connected to the topend of said block for raising and lowering the same in said guidechannel, and means supported from the car body and including a part toextend through a flange of said first mentioned angle bar and to projectinto one of a number of holes in said carriage block for locking thesame in said guide channel.

4. In combination with a railroad spreader including a front plow andapron and a main spreader wing terminating rearwardly of said apron, arail cleaner guard positioned be tween but independent of said wing andsaid apron, and means for vertically guiding said rail cleaner guard.

5. In combination with a railroad spreader including a front plow andapron and a main spreader wing terminating rearwardly of said apron, arail cleaner guard positioned between but independent of said wing andsaid apron, and means for vertically moving said rail cleaner guard.

6. In combination with a railroad spreader including a front plow andapron and a main spreader wing terminating rearwardly of said apron, arail cleaner guard positioned between but independent of said wing andsaid apron, and means for'vertically guiding said rail cleaner guard,and means for locking it in the desired vertical position. a

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, this 11th day ofDecember, 1926.

VSEVOLOD G. TELLIS.

